(a) whether the Government proposes to make it mandatory for all
Government hospital doctors to prescribe generic and chemical name of drugs;
(b) if so, to what extent this move is likely to cut medicine costs;
(c) whether the Government hospital doctors had earlier been advised to
write the name of the generic equivalent alongwith the brand; and
(d) if so, the impact thereof?
THE MINISTER OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI GHULAM NABI AZAD)
(a) to (d) ‘Health’ being a State subject, it is primarily the responsibility
of the concerned State Government to issue such instructions to their Government
hospitals.
However, in view of the ever increasing cost of public health care delivery,
making available less priced quality unbranded generic medicines for all, all Central
Government hospitals/dispensaries in Delhi and outside Delhi have been instructed to
advise their medical practioners to prescribe only generic versions of medicines in
the hospitals / dispensaries/ wellness centres and whenever the branded versions are
prescribed, these should be supplemented with or equivalent ingredients.
Hospitals have also been informed that generic medicines are equivalent
to the branded medicines in terms of efficacy and quality as they contain the
same active ingredients in the same concentration in the same dosage form and
also meet the same standard.